音頻中的美音原版音頻片段，來自“中國讀本”系列叢書
這套書由人民教育出版社與美國國家地理學習聯合出版
旨在弘揚與傳播中華優秀文化的英語讀本
講到蘇州園林，經常會提及里面的怪石，今天我們就去了解一下為什么在蘇州園林里會放怪石
新華社記者金良快攝Strangely shaped rocks are an important physical and symbolic element in Chinese gardens. The pores, holes and strange forms of these limestone rocks were naturally molded through erosion by flowing water and acidic soil. These rocks are called Taihu because those produced at the foot of Dongting Mountain in Suzhou near the Taihu Lake are the most well-known. The Taihu rock became an important component of Chinese gardens since the Northern Song dynasty (960–1127).?
怪石是中國園林中重要的實物和象征元素。這些石灰巖的孔洞和奇形怪狀的外形是由流水和酸性土壤的侵蝕自然形成的。這些怪石之所以被稱為太湖石，是因為它們產自蘇州靠近太湖的洞庭山腳下。自北宋以來，太湖石就成為中國園林的重要組成部分。
physical?/[?f?z?k(?)l/
adj. 物質的，有形的
symbolic/s?m?b?l?k/
adj. 用作象征的，被認為是象征的；有象征意義的
erosion?/[??r???(?)n/
n. 侵蝕，腐蝕
例：
The erosion of confidence in world financial markets.
對世界金融市場信心的削弱。
The?landscapes have been sculpted by surface erosion.?
這個地形是由地表侵蝕形成的。
Their primary use were as garden stones, often large signature pieces occupying key locations in classical gardens. Taihu became a major stone used in traditional gardens in the Tang dynasty and in other classical gardens built in later dynasties.?
它們的主要用途是作為園林石，通常大的太湖石占據古典園林中重要的位置。太湖石成為唐代傳統園林和之后古典園林的主要用石。
primary/?pra?m?ri/
adj. 主要的，首要的；初級的，原發性的
例：
That"s the primary reason the company"s share price has held up so well.
這就是那家公司的股票價格一直保持得這么好的首要原因。
The content of primary education should be the same for everyone.
初級教育的內容對每個人都應該是相同的。
Medium- to smaller-sized pieces of Taihu stone were used to build rockeries in gardens and for use in key locations along the edges and in small ponds or lakes within gardens. The supply of choice stones was limited and some scholars think that the supply was exhausted during the late Tang dynasty.?
中到小的太湖石被用來建造假山和擺放在花園中池塘或湖的周圍。上乘的太湖石的數量是有限的，有學者認為在唐朝的末期已經用完。
scholar/?sk?l?(r)/
n. 學者；有學問的人
exhausted/?ɡ?z??st?d/
adj. 筋疲力盡的；耗盡的，枯竭的
v. 耗盡
The more eccentric the rock, the more it was prized. The Chinese fascination with the strange, the bizarre, and the extraordinary shape of such rocks came not only from the qualities denoting individuality and originality, but also from the resemblance of their forms to the sacred mountains in people’s imagination. One of the major elements of Chinese culture has always been the reverence of great mountains as the embodiment of mysterious power.
怪石越是外形奇怪，就越是珍貴。中國人對奇形怪狀巖石的喜愛，不僅是因為它們具有個性和獨創性，而且還因為它們的形狀與人們想象中的神山相似。中國文化的主要元素之一就是對高山峻嶺的敬畏，因為它象征著神秘的力量。
eccentric/[?k?sentr?k/
adj. 古怪的，異乎尋常的
extraordinary?/?k?str??dnri/
adj. 異乎尋常的，令人驚奇的；非凡的，卓越的
resemblance/r??zembl?ns/
n. 相似，相像；相似點，相似之處
